civil war

[ siv-uhl wawr ]

noun

1. a war between political factions or regions within the same country.

Civil War

¹

noun

1. English history the conflict between Charles I and the Parliamentarians resulting from disputes over their respective prerogatives. Parliament gained decisive victories at Marston Moor in 1644 and Naseby in 1645, and Charles was executed in 1649
2. history the war fought from 1861 to 1865 between the North and the South, sparked off by Lincoln's election as president but with deep-rooted political and economic causes, exacerbated by the slavery issue. The advantages of the North in terms of population, finance, and communications brought about the South's eventual surrender at Appomattox

civil war

²

noun

1. war between parties, factions, or inhabitants of different regions within the same nation

Civil War

1. The war fought in the United States between northern ( Union ) and southern ( Confederate ) states from 1861 to 1865, in which the Confederacy sought to establish itself as a separate nation. The Civil War is also known as the War for Southern Independence and as the War between the States. The war grew out of deep-seated differences between the social structure and economy of North and South, most notably over slavery; generations of political maneuvers had been unable to overcome these differences ( see Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850 ). The secession of the southern states began in late 1860, after Abraham Lincoln was elected president. The Confederacy was formed in early 1861. The fighting began with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter . Most of the battles took place in the South, but one extremely crucial episode, the Battle of Gettysburg , was fought in the North. The war ended with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House . ( See Battle of Bull Run , Battle of Chancellorsville , Emancipation Proclamation , and Sherman's march to the sea .)

Notes

The Civil War has been the most serious test yet of the ability of the United States to remain one nation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of civil war¹

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

They are, to say the least, preparing for civil war (the polling stations are stormed by armed gangs).

From The Daily Beast

But what is there more irresponsible than playing with the fire of an imagined civil war in the France of today?

From The Daily Beast

As Sutton shows in his book, the important shift took place gradually, from the end of the Civil War until World War II.

From The Daily Beast

“[I]ndeed, the Civil War was more or less administered from there,” an Esquire review asserts.

From The Daily Beast

For the past 25 years, a massive civil war has literally divided the country into two separate entities.

From The Daily Beast

His 6,000 native auxiliaries (as it proved later on) could not be relied upon in a civil war.

From Project Gutenberg

By all the sounded consonants we have—“Inhuman Civil War;” the latter shorter, more significant, and more easily remembered.

From Project Gutenberg

This action aroused Governor Berkeley who immediately considered Bacon a traitor, and a civil war or rebellion resulted.

From Project Gutenberg

For the popular voice accused him of outrages for which the utmost license of civil war would not furnish a plea.

From Project Gutenberg

Whatever his resolution may be, it is feared that there will be much disturbance, if not a civil war.

From Project Gutenberg